Samuel beows



(No Model.)

S. BROWN,

SAFETY UAR TRUCK.-

No. 280.442. Patented July 3, 1883.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL BROIVN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

SAFETY GAR-TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 280,442, dated July 3,1883.

Applicationfilcd April 10, 1883.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL BROWN, of the cityand county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented anImproved Safety Attachment for Railway-Trains; and I hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to a new and useful safety attachment for the carsand locomotives of a railway-train; and it consists in a peculiar clampor guard rigidly secured under the cars, and in a raised bar or railwith which the clamp or guard is adapted to engage.

The object of my invention is to prevent the derailment of railwaytrainsat sharp curves, or at other dangerous points where, under speed, thewheels may have a tendency to leave the track. I

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspectix e viewof a car-truck 011 a curve in the track, showing the applica tion of mydevice to both truck and track. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectionthrough truck and track. Fig. 3 is a section showing detail of bar F andthe means for securing it to the cross-tie.

A A are the axles, and B the wheels, of a car-truck.

G O are the equalizerbars supported on the axles. Upon these, throughthe intervention of suitable springs, the body of the car (not hereshown) is supported. y

D D are braces secured to the equalizers. These braces, in someconstruction of trucks, may be set straight across, and in others theymay be bent together. In all, however, they are to be bent down closerto the track, and they have bolted securely between them a strong bar,d.

E is a clamp or guard having jaws e, as shown. This clamp is boltedrigidly under the'bar d. The object of this connection of the clamp isthat it may always travel at a uniform distance from the road-bed. If itwere secured to the body of the car it could not so travel, because thebody is supported on springs; but the equalizer-bars, being supported bythe axles, are steady, and therefore the (No model.)

clamp depending for support upon them will travel at a uniform distancefromthe roadbed. I

By bending the braces D D downward I lower the point of attachment ofthe clamp, and thus avoid a shank' on said clamp, which would not be asstrong or furnish as rigid a connection as the present construction,where the clamp is bolted directly to the bar (7.

being square, lies between the under surface of V the bar and the uppersurface of the ties, and raises the bar above the horizontal plane ofthe cross-ties and supports it in this position. The points of the jawsof the clamp E are thus enabled to embrace and travel under its edges.

This bar is only to be placed in the track at curves, or at other pointswhich are particularly dangerous, and its ends are tapered, in order toenable the clamp to engage with it. When the car comes to a curve, thejaws of the clamp pass under the raised edges of the bar F and hold thecar down, preventing its wheels from rising to leave the rails, and alldanger of derailment is thus avoided. I could place my clamp on one sideand cause it to engage with the depressed sides of the ordinary T-rails;but in such case I would have to dispense with the fish-plates now inuse on the sides and put them on the bottom in order to preserve anunbroken surface; but the disadvantages of overcoming this difficultyand the presence of switches -makes it obvious that the central raisedbar, F, is preferable.

This device may be placed on the locomotive, as Well as on a car.

The points or manner of attachment of the clamp or guard may have to bevaried accord ing to the present construction of the several trucks inuse.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is"

The axles A of a railway car or truck the 5 equalizer-bars C, braces D,secured thereon and bent downwardly, and the cross-bar d, securedbetween the braces, in combination with the clamp or guard E, firmlybolted to the cross bar, and having jaws e, and the central raised baror rail, F, secured in the road-bed, sub- 10 stantially as and for thepurpose herein described.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand.

7 SAMUEL BROWN. \Vitnesses:

S. H. NoURsn,

J'. H. BLOOD.

